Girl in Hyacinth Blue
| Author | Susan Vreeland |
|---|---|
| Publication date | September 15, 1999[1] |
| Pages | 150[1] |
| ISBN | 1-878448-90-0 |
Girl in Hyacinth Blue is a novel by Susan Vreeland. It follows the history in reverse chronological order of a painting claimed to be by Johannes Vermeer.
Background
As a child, Susan Vreeland was exposed to art media by her neighbor, a professor at San Diego State University, and literature from Guy de Maupassant and Robert Louis Stevenson.[2] Many of her stories involved art.[2]
Plot
Girl in Hyacinth Blue is made of several stories focusing on the story of a fictional Vermeer painting. Chapters are organized in reverse chronological order.[3] The book starts with two teachers, one in possession of the titular painting named Cornelius Engelbrecht, debate over its authenticity. Engelbrecht does not have the documentation to prove it. His father, a Nazi, got the painting from a Jewish family in Amsterdam. The following chapters explores the relations within the Jewish family that year before the painting was stolen, a Dutch couple going through marital issues over the painting, a Dutch farm during the Christmas Flood of 1717, an engineer losing the painting, and Vermeer painting the piece using his own daughter as a model.[1]
Reception
Publishers Weekly stated that the different perspectives of the book added dimension to the story.[4] In a review by World and I, it was commented how Vreeland circumvented a common issue of short stories, described by World and I as the author explaining the plausibility of their story "it happens", by writing about the history of the painting.[5] Linda Broughton writing for the ALAN Review noted that the novel was highly readable.[3]
The book is a New York Times Best Seller.[6]
Legacy
Girl in Hyacinth Blue inspired the 2003 movie Brush with Fate.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 "Girl in Hyacinth Blue". Kirkus Reviews. July 1, 1999. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Wilkens, John (September 1, 2017). "Susan Vreeland dies at 71; blended art and fiction in 'Girl in Hyacinth Blue' and other novels". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
- 1 2 Broughton, Linda (2000). "A Few Thoughts on Susan Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue". The ALAN Review. 27 (3). ISSN 0882-2840 – via Virginia Tech.
- ↑ Lester, Loren; Bernstein, Sheryl; Ferrero, Martin; Bermingham, Gigi; Baum, Jennifer; Cullum, J.D.; Fitzpatrick, Tom; Steininger, Janellen (February 4, 2002). "GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE (Book)". Publishers Weekly. 249 (5) – via EBSCO.
- ↑ "GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE (Book Review)". World and I. 15 (6). 2000 – via EBSCO.
- ↑ Menzel, Mary (2007). "Huckleberry Moments: An Interview with Susan Vreeland" (PDF). American Library Association. p. 30.